Hong Kong won a victory in its drive to attract more high-technolgy firms as Dutch semiconductor equipment giant ASM Lithography (ASML) said it would establish an Asian headquarters in the SAR.
The company, the world's second-largest manufacturer of steppers and scanners which print chip circuitry on to silicon wafers, said it viewed Hong Kong as key to its Asian operations, which bring in about half of worldwide annual revenues.
'We decided to go for Hong Kong, because it is really central to the whole region, and it will further develop our sales activity,' said ASML investor relations manager Jan Hoefnagels.
The company, which has no relationship with Hong Kong-listed semiconductor manufacturer ASM Pacific Technologies, said it wanted to centralise sales and servicing in the SAR.
Mr Hoefnagels said the company would eventually seek to gain a stronger foothold in the mainland, often cited as a reason for choosing Hong Kong as a headquarters.
He said the group's largest business was in South Korea and Taiwan.
